Research

Meditation and Awareness

Ancient practice. Contemporary research.

Meditation has been practised within contemplative traditions for thousands of years. Over recent decades, these practices have also become the subject of extensive scientific investigation.

Much of the strongest contemporary evidence has developed through structured mindfulness-based programs, particularly Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Research continues to explore the relationship between mindfulness, attention and awareness, and their influence on stress, emotional regulation, wellbeing and our experience of the body.

At Living Aware, research provides an important foundation – while recognising that not every dimension of awareness or contemplative experience can, or should, be reduced to a scientific claim.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) helped bring mindfulness meditation into mainstream healthcare.

The eight-week program combines mindfulness meditation, body awareness, mindful movement and inquiry. Over more than four decades, MBSR and related mindfulness-based approaches have been studied across healthcare, education, workplaces and community settings.

MBSR provides an important evidence-based foundation for Lydia’s teaching and for the development of Living Aware programs. And while MBSR was developed as an accessible secular program for working with stress, pain and illness, the contemplative traditions from which mindfulness emerged also point toward a deeper enquiry into awareness itself. In his later writing and teaching, Jon Kabat-Zinn has spoken increasingly explicitly about awareness, wholeness and our true nature.

The Science of Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford, provides a brief and accessible introduction to mindfulness and its relationship with the brain.

[EMBED VIDEO: The Science of Mindfulness — Mark Williams]

What Does the Research Tell Us?

More than four decades of research have explored mindfulness and meditation across healthcare, workplaces, education and community settings.

Meditation is not a cure or a replacement for appropriate medical or psychological care yet research into structured mindfulness-based approaches suggests potential benefits across a number of areas, including:

stress, anxiety and emotional wellbeing
pain and quality of life
workplace stress, wellbeing and resilience
attention and awareness
body and interoceptive awareness
teacher stress and wellbeing

From Mindfulness to Awareness

Mindfulness gives us a practical way to cultivate attention and awareness. But awareness extends beyond formal meditation.

It includes our capacity to notice thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations; recognise habitual patterns; see situations from different perspectives; and become more conscious of how we respond and relate.

Meditation is one way we practise. Awareness is the larger capacity we are developing.

Contemporary research is exploring attention, meta-awareness and body awareness – and the ways these capacities influence how we experience ourselves and engage with the world.

Exploring Awareness

Psychiatrist and author Dr Daniel J. Siegel uses his Wheel of Awareness to explore the distinction between what we are aware of and awareness itself.

His work brings together awareness, attention, embodiment, connection and presence – offering an accessible way of exploring awareness beyond formal meditation.

[EMBED VIDEO: Dan Siegel — Introduction to the Concepts in Aware]

Explore Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness →

Attention, Awareness & the Mind

Where our attention goes profoundly influences our experience.

Meditation provides a simple way of observing this process: noticing where attention is, recognising when it has wandered and consciously returning it.

Researchers also explore meta-awareness – our capacity to recognise what the mind itself is doing. This plays an important role in mindfulness practice, including our capacity to recognise thoughts as mental events rather than automatically becoming caught up in them.

As awareness develops, we begin to recognise habitual ways of thinking, feeling and responding – creating greater space for perspective and choice.

The Embodied Mind

The body scan, mindful movement and awareness of breathing are integral to MBSR. Contemporary research also explores interoception and body awareness – our capacity to perceive and make sense of signals arising within the body.

Research suggests mindfulness training develops aspects of self-reported interoceptive awareness. This relationship between body, mind and awareness is explored more deeply through our Living Aware programs including Aware Living and The Aware Body.

Selected Research

A selection of established and recent research into mindfulness, meditation and awareness.

Mindfulness & MBSR

Grossman et al. — Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Health Benefits: A Meta-analysis

A landmark review examining MBSR and physical and psychological wellbeing across clinical and non-clinical populations. View the research on PubMed →

Stress, Anxiety & Emotional Wellbeing

Goyal et al. — Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine

A major systematic review of 47 trials examining outcomes including anxiety, depression, stress, pain and quality of life. It found small to moderate benefits for some psychological outcomes while also highlighting limitations in the evidence. Read the full research →

Attention & Awareness

Dunne, Thompson & Schooler — Mindful Meta-awareness: Sustained and Non-propositional

An exploration of meta-awareness and its relationship with mindfulness – including our capacity to recognise thoughts and mental events without automatically becoming caught up in them. View the research on PubMed →

Embodied Awareness & Interoception

Treves et al. — A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Self-reported Interoception

A meta-analysis of 29 randomised controlled trials exploring whether mindfulness meditation training influences people’s awareness of internal bodily experience. View the research on PubMed →

Workplace Wellbeing

Khanal et al. — Meditation and Workplace Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Mental and Cardiometabolic Outcomes Among Employees

A large 2026 review of 132 randomised controlled trials involving more than 23,000 participants. Meditation interventions were associated with improvements across several psychological outcomes, including stress, wellbeing, resilience and sleep. View the research on PubMed →

Explore Awareness at Work →

Teachers & Schools

Yan et al. — Effects of Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Teachers’ Work Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This 2026 review of 13 trials involving more than 2,000 participants found reductions in perceived stress and negative emotions and increases in mindfulness, while also highlighting variation between studies. View the research on PubMed →

Explore Schools & Teacher Wellbeing Research →

Mindfulness & Meditation

Jon Kabat-Zinn – Coming to Our Senses
A broad exploration of mindfulness, awareness and what it means to live more fully.

Jon Kabat-Zinn – Full Catastrophe Living
The foundational book accompanying Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Jack Kornfield – A Path with Heart
A contemporary exploration of meditation and contemplative practice in everyday life.

Compassion, Resilience & Living Well

Kristin Neff – Self-Compassion
Research and practical approaches to developing a kinder and more supportive relationship with ourselves.

Rick Hanson – Resilient
An exploration of developing inner psychological resources for resilience and wellbeing.

Tara Brach – Radical Acceptance
An exploration of mindfulness, compassion and our relationship with difficult experience.

A Note About the Research

Meditation research is a large and evolving field. Living Aware favours well-established research and credible academic sources, while remaining open to new developments in our understanding of meditation, body, mind and awareness.

Research informs the practice. Experience brings it to life.

Articles about meditation and mindfulness

A clinical intervention for anxiety (2007) – link

Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction (2005) – link

Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain Harvard Business Review – link

How Mindful Meditation Boosts Creativity and Innovation The Huffington Post – link

Today’s Workplace needs Mindful Leaders The Financial Post – link

Give your Brain a Boost Washington Post – link

Politicians joined by Ruby Wax as parliament pauses for meditation The Guardian – link

Compassion in Business Benefits Employers and Employees The Huffington Post – link

Research findings from MBSR participants

Improve health and well being
MBSR significantly improves health related quality of life, including reduced physical symptoms and psychological distress – link

Alleviate stress and anxiety
Mindfulness training has been proven to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression – link

Reduce Burnout at Work
MBSR decreases burnout and improves wellbeing among healthcare providers – link

Pain management
MBSR can assist with pain management or can lead to the reduction of the experience of pain. Many participants have been able to reduce their pain medication over time – link

Hypertension
MBSR has shown reduced rates in hypertension – link

Coronary Heart Disease
Mindfulness training in standard cardiac rehabilitation regimes has been shown to significantly reduce mortality, morbidity and psychological distress – link

Supporting patients with cancer
Research supports that MBSR has significantly decreased symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, anger and confusion with many cancer patients – link

Asthma
MBSR has been shown to reduce the frequency of asthma attacks and leads to improvements in psychological well being – link

Menopause and hot flushes
MBSR can reduce the degree of distress women experience from hot flushes and night sweats – link